Lighting fixture for elongated tubular lamps



Jan. 9, 1951 R. c. DAMERAL LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS Filed Dec. 3, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

RA) 6. DAMERAL R. c. DAMERAL 2,537,398 LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS 4 Jan. 9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 3, 1948 R 04 T R N w y m W .1 0 A 0 Y Mg on v MN .nw i I I- vmm lli|.fll 1 1 i I i T i F |;N\\. EL

Patented Jan. 9, 1951 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR ELONGATED- v TUBULAR LAMPS Ray C. Dameral, San Leandro, Califi, assignor to Samuel Her-st, doing business as Peerless Electric Company, San Francisco, Calif.

Application December 3, 1948, Serial No. 63,239

Claims. (01. 240 -5111) This invention relates to lighting fixtures and particularly to improvements in fixtures: employed for the illumination of narrow spaces such as the stack bins in libraries or other passageways where illumination of two closely spaced wall-like areas is desired... In library stacks, overhead lamps are usually employed to direct light onto the books stored in vertically disposed. bins or shelves. The bins are arranged in opposed relation so that a narrow passageway provides access to twotiers. Usually the lamps create a glare that is annoying to persons walking through the passageway and irritating to the eyes of anyone engaged in working in. the stacks for an extended.

time. An object of the present invention is to provide a lighting fixture for use in stack bins or similar narrow areas which, when suspended overhead in a. central position, will adequately illuminate opposed bin spaces without producing a glare annoying to a person walking through the areas.

A further obiect of the invention is the provision of a fixture of the character described constructed in a simple and inexpensive manner that is easy to assemble. maintain and repair.

Further and more specific objects and advan-. tages of the in ention are made apparent in the following specification wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a pre erred form of the invention. In the drawings Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration. showing the manner in which the lighting fixture of the pre ent invention is associated with stack bins;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illus trating a portion. of the lighting fixture.

Fig. 3- is a view in elevation of a bafiie which forms part of the lighting fixture shown in Fig. 21 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illus.-' trating a part of a bafile supporting. member. Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the lightin fixture.

Fig. 6 is a bottom ing fixture.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on the line VII-VII of Fig. 5, ;Fi g; 8- is a sectional view taken on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 5, and 1 Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an end plate which forms a part of the lighting fixture.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, a lighting fixture illustrated at I!) is shown. as supported centrally 'oi' the ceiling betweenopposed tiers H of birds or shelves. The arrows in the areaway' between the tiers H indicate the direction of light rays emanating from the fixture Hi.

plan view of the same light Figs. 2 5 and c oi the d1'awings;-the lightin fixture i0 is shown as including elongated luminous tube l2 of conventional form supported period of i on the usual connecting brackets !3 which de pend from the conventional service box l4 adapted to contain any necessary electrical fit tings not shown. A reflector I5 designed to re-' fleet light downwardly and outwardly from the tube 42 is, as best shown in Fig. '7, secured as by screws [6 to the box [4 just above the luminous tube 42. In order to confine the light radiating from the tube I 2 to the desired direction and to prohibit it from being radiated longitudinally of the tube so that it would produce a glare when the fixture was viewed by persons walking through the areaway, a plurality of bafiles t8, one of which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 3, are arranged at spaced intervals throughout substantially the en! tire length of the luminous tube. These baflles i8 are of sheet-metal or similar material and have a U-shaped outline to enable them to embrace the tube. They are carried and held in their spaced relationship by a support [9 having, as. shown in Fig. 4,.an inverted V-shaped cross section and provided with spaced. slots as indicated at 20.

Each of the baflles l8 has a notch 2| formed centrally of its lower edge and a perforation 22 also centrally disposed directly above the notch 2!. In assembly, the notches 2! of the baffles embrace the support [9 and the slots 20 in the support receive those portions of the baffles (11*. rectly above. the notches 2! so that the perfora tions 22 are aligned within the apex of the V- shaped support 59. A single: elongated rod 23 passing through all of the perforations 22. re;

tains the bafiles in assembled position on the support. The inverted V-shaped support l9, due to its shape and relationship to the tube 12. does not interfere with. radiation. of light from the tube onto the: stack bins but tends to cast a shadow only upon the floor between stacks where intense illumination is not required. H 7

End plates 25 extend downwardlyone fro each end of the box [4 and may be secured. to the box as by rivets shown at 26 in Fig. 8. These endplates serve as light battles at the extreme ends oi. the fixture and also serve to support brackets 21 (see Figs. 5, 6 and 8 and 9) which in turn receive and retain the opposite ends. of th support 19..

The brackets 2! comprise, as shown in Figs; 8 and. 9, a. flat plate portion 28 secured asby spot welding or the. like to the end plates 25 and having outwardly projecting side; flanges 23 angularly disposed with relation to each other to: receive between them the inverted V-s-haped support 15; At their lower ends, the fiangesaEQ' are bent in" wardly toprovide lips shown at 39 to underlie the bottom edges .of the supportI-S adjacent its ends. The support H is su ficiently resilient to permit of its being slightly compressed so that it may readily be inserted or removed from its jacent both ends and compressed slightly until .1 its bottom edges clear the lips 30 and the support together with all of the bafiies l8 assembled with a it can be lowered away from the fixture. The unit which includes the support and baffles may be replaced simply by lifting it upwardly toward the fixture and pressing it adjacent its ends until it snaps into position within the brackets 21.

The lighting fixture herein described is of in-' expensive manufacture in that it may be made of simple sheet-metal stampings. It performs the function of directing light toward the desired areas and it is easily maintained because of the simplicity with which it may be assembled and disassembled.

Iclaim: i g 1. In a lighting fixture in combination, an elongated support, an elongated luminous tube mounted on the support to' extend along the underside thereof, end plates extending downwardly from the ends of said support, an elongated member cf inverted V-shape form extending longitudinally below the luminous tube having at intervals along the same vertical slots extending inwardly from the apex thereof, means on the end plates at the inner side thereof for detachably connecting said member at its ends to saidend plates, and a plurality of transverse baflle plates supported by said member, each of said baffle plates being provided with a notch in;

the lower part thereof to embrace said member and each bafile plate having an aperture therein above said notch, the baffle plates fitting into the slots of said member with opposite side edges of their notches fitting upon opposite sides of said member, and a rod extending longitudinally through the apex portion of said member and through the apertures in the bafile plates, said rod fastening the bafiie plates to said member.

2. In a lighting fixture in combination, an elongated support, an elongated luminous tube mounted on the support to extend along the underside thereof, end plates extending downwardly from the ends of the support, an elongated member of inverted V-shaped form extending longitudinally below the luminous tube,

a plurality of transverse baiile platessupported at intervals on said member, and means on the end plates at the inner side thereof for detachably connecting said member at its ends to the end plates, said means including spaced oppositely disposed inwardly projecting seat portions,

said bafile plate supporting member being resilient and adapted to be engaged with said spaced seat portions by springing the lower end portions of said member inwardly toward each other and then permitting said lower portions to 4 spaced outwardly projecting flanges extending at aniupward inclination toward each other, said bafile plate supporting member being resilient and adapted to be engaged with said spaced flanges by springing the lower end portions of said member inwardly toward each other and then permitting said lower portions to expand g outwardly.

4. In a lighting fixture in combination, an elongated support, an elongated luminous tube mounted on the support to extend along the underside thereof, end plates extending downwardly from the ends of the support, an elongated member of inverted V-shape form extending longitudinally below the luminous tube, a plurality of transverse baffle plates supported at intervals on said member, and means on the end plates at the inner side thereof for detachably connecting said member at its ends tothe end plates, said means including a pair of oppositely spaced outwardly projecting flanges extending at an upward inclination toward each other, said flanges each having an inwardly turned lip portion at its lower end, said baflle plate supporting member being resilient and adapted to be engaged with said spaced flanges byspringing the lower end portions of said member inwardly toward each other and then permitting said lower portions to' expand outwardly.

5. In a lighting, fixture in combination, an elongated support, an elongated luminous tube mounted on the support to extend along the underside thereof, end plates extending down wardly from the ends of said support, an elongated member of V-shape form extending longitudinally below the luminous tube having at intervals along the same vertical slots extending inwardly from the apex thereof, a plurality of transverse baflle 'plates'supported by said mem ber, each of said baflle plates being provided with a notch in the lower part thereof to embrace said member, and each baffle plate having an aperture therein above said notch, the baffle plates fitting into the slots of said member with oppositel side edge portions of their notches fitting upon opposite sides of said member, a rod extending longitudinally through the apex portion of "said'member and through the apertures in the baffle plate, said rod fastening the bafiie plates to said member, and means on the end plates at the inner side thereof for detachably connecting said member at its ends to the end plates, said means including spaced oppositely disposed inwardly projecting seat portions, said member being resilient and adapted to b 'engag'ed' with said spaced seat portions by springing the lower end portions of said member inwardly'toward each other and then permitting said lower portio'ns'to expand outwardly.

RAY C. DAMERAL.

7 REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

. UNITED STATESPATENTS Number Name Y Date 12,102,944 Doane Dec. 21, 1937 2,198,096 Sweet Apr. 23, 1940 337,437 Allen Dec. 21, 1943 2,358,811 4 Kloner Sept. 26, 1944 2,411,952 Biller Dec. 3, 1946 

